The document discusses the key aspects of the Prevention-Mitigation phase of emergency management for schools. It defines Prevention-Mitigation as assessing and addressing the safety and integrity of school facilities, security, and culture/climate to ensure a safe learning environment. The document outlines that Prevention-Mitigation is an ongoing process that involves collaboration, conducting a safety and security needs assessment through identifying hazards and vulnerabilities, and taking steps to address issues. It provides examples of Prevention, Mitigation, and how to assess and analyze risks to develop a comprehensive emergency management plan covering all potential hazards.

1. Prevention-Mitigation
Emergency Management for Schools training
February 22, 2007, Philadelphia, PA
Jon Akers
Executive Director
Kentucky Center for School Safety
Steve Kimberling
School Safety Assessment Coordinator
Kentucky Center for School Safety
U.S. Department of Education, Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools
400 Maryland Avenue, SW / Washington, DC 20202

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Overview of Session
• Discuss key messages, definitions and examples of
Prevention-Mitigation phase
• Identify key components of Prevention-Mitigation:
• Collaboration
• Safety and security needs assessment
• Hazard analysis
• Next steps
• Practice Prevention-Mitigation techniques
• Questions?

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Key Messages
• The Prevention-Mitigation phase is designed to assess and address the
safety and integrity of facilities, security and culture and climate of
schools
• Prevention-Mitigation builds on what schools are already doing
• Schools need to take an all-hazards approach when assessing risks and
vulnerabilities
• Prevention-Mitigation is an ongoing process that is directly linked to the
other three phases of emergency planning
• Strong community partnerships and leadership support facilitates a
more comprehensive Prevention-Mitigation strategy

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Phases of Emergency Management
Prevention-Mitigation Preparedness
Response
Recovery

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What is the Prevention-
Mitigation Phase?
• Prevention is the action(s) schools and districts take to
decrease the likelihood that an event or crisis will occur
• Mitigation is the action(s) schools and districts take to
eliminate or reduce the loss of life and property damage
related to an event(s) that cannot be prevented
GOAL: Assess and address the safety and integrity
of facilities, security and culture and climate of
schools to ensure a safe and healthy learning
environment

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Prevention Examples
• Communication procedures for staff, parents, students and the
media
• Current efforts being implemented by the school:
• Wellness activities (mental health services, alcohol prevention, etc.)
• Bullying prevention programs
• Safety procedures such as hazardous weather drills
• Established and current policies that are related, but not limited,
to:
• Food preparation
• Mail handling
• Building access
• Student accounting
• Assessments related to threat, physical infrastructure and culture
and climate

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Mitigation Examples
• Bolting bookshelves to the wall
• Fencing hazardous areas
• Anchoring outdoor equipment that
could become a flying projectile
• Applying Crime Prevention
Through Environmental Design
(CPTED) principles to school
grounds and structures

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What is Crime Prevention Through
Environmental Design (CPTED)?
• The three principles of the CPTED program are:
• Natural surveillance - the ability to easily see what is occurring in a
particular setting
• Natural access control - the ability to restrict who enters or exits an
environment
• Territoriality-maintenance - the ability to demonstrate ownership of and
respect for property
• More information on CPTED is available at
http://www.edfacilities.org/rl/cpted.cfm#10905

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Good CPTED Examples

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Prevention-Mitigation:
Key Components
• Collaborate and build relationships with partners
• Conduct a safety and security needs assessment:
• Become familiar with available resources
• Understand the environment
• Analyze hazards
• Take next steps

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Building Relationships
• Establishing teacher/student
relationships
• Building trust among school staff,
students and parents
• Finding ways for students to be
"connected" to the school — during
and after the school day
• Establishing a welcoming school
climate and culture

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Partner Collaboration Considerations
• Invite community partners to be
part of the planning process
• Work closely with emergency
managers as mitigation of
community hazards may be beyond
the control of school officials
• Involve regional, local and school-
based leaders
• Generate broad based support in
the Prevention-Mitigation phase,
this helps create "buy-in" for the
entire emergency management
process

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Safety and Security Needs Assessment:
Available Resources
Prior to conducting a safety and security needs
assessment, schools and districts should gather
current resources including, but not limited to:
• Previous assessments:
• City or county vulnerability assessments
• Facility assessments, for example, Crime Prevention Through
Environmental Design (CPTED)
• Culture and climate assessments
• Relevant and recent data:
• School specific incident data
• School climate and culture data
• Community hazard profile

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Safety and Security Needs Assessment:
Understanding the Environment
Assessments should be comprehensive and
address hazards or risks in the following settings:
• School-based
• Negative school climate perceptions
• Obstructed pathways, unsafe playground equipment
• District-wide
• Unclear or outdated school policies and procedures
• Surrounding neighborhood
• High crime rates
• Next to an intersection with heavy truck traffic
• Greater community
• Nearby nuclear power plant, located on a fault line

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Safety and Security Needs Assessment: Identify
Hazards
A comprehensive emergency management plan should
address all-hazards, including, but not limited to:
• Natural - Earthquakes, tornados, floods
• Technological - Power outages, nearby nuclear plant
• Infrastructure - Roads and bridges, utilities
• Nonstructural - Portable room dividers, bookshelves, suspended
ceilings and light fixtures
• Man-made - Hazardous materials release, terrorism
• Biological - Pandemic flu, contaminated food
• Physical wellbeing - Broken bones, suicide
• Student culture and climate - Bullying, drugs, violent behavior

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Safety and Security Needs Assessment: Profile
Hazards
When developing a hazard profile, schools should
consider questions, such as:
• Frequency of occurrence - How often is it likely to occur?
• Magnitude and potential intensity - How bad can it get?
• Location - Where is it likely to strike?
• Probable geographical extent - How large an area will it effect?
• Duration - How long could it last?
• Seasonal pattern - When is the time of year it is more likely to occur?
• Speed of onset - How fast will it occur?
• Availability of warnings - How much warning time is there? Does a
warning system exist?

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Hazard Analysis:
Determine Vulnerability and Risk
• Vulnerability is the susceptibility of life, property or
environment
• Risk is the probability of suffering loss or injury from the
impact of a hazard:
• Creating a risk analysis matrix is one means of graphically representing
risk

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Risk Matrix Example
High
Hurricane
Tornado
Medium
Flood Violence
Low
Hazmat Spill
Low Medium High
Probability
Severity

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Take Action
Some suggested Prevention-Mitigation action
items and next steps:
• Connect with partners
• Review audits and data
• Assign or determine responsibility
• Encourage participation of all partners
• Assess problems
• Conduct an assessment with all partners
• Implement necessary changes

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Summary
• Prevention-Mitigation is a continual process
• Schools are already involved in creating safe learning
environments - Prevention-Mitigation builds on these efforts
• Both physical facilities and social / emotional needs of
students and staff must be considered prior to the
occurrence of an incident or event
• Prevention-Mitigation involves establishing key community
partnerships and assessing and addressing identified safety
and security needs

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Interactive Activity

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THANK YOU
For More Information Contact:
Jon Akers: jon.akers@eku.edu
Steve Kimberling: skimberl@prodigy.net
ERCM TA Center: 888-991-3726 or info@ercm.org